LAA

• What are the main areas of development in human growth?

  Physical, intellectual, emotional and social development
• What are the patterns of growth and development?

  • Growth is variable across different parts of the body and is measured using height, weight and dimensions.
  • Development follows an orderly sequence and is the acquisition of skills, capabilities and abilities as a person grows. It always happens in the same sequence but at a different rate.
• What is a percentile chart used for?

  To track growth patterns in children
• What are fine motor skills?

  Skills that involve small, manipulative muscle movements
• What are gross motor skills?

  Skills that involve large muscle movements, using things such as the arms and legs
• What are primitive reflexes?

  Involuntary movements present at birth
• What is the rooting reflex?

  A reflex that helps infants find food - touching side of face
• What is the suckling reflex?


  A reflex that enables infants to suck for nourishment - when something placed in the mouth
• What is the Moro/startle reflex?

  A reflex that causes infants to spread their arms in response to a sudden stimulus
• What is the grasp reflex?

  A reflex that causes infants to grasp objects placed in their hands
• What is proximodistal development?

  The pattern of development from the centre of the body outward
• What is cephalocaudal development?

  The pattern of development from the head to the feet
• What does Body Mass Index (BMI) measure?

  The ratio of weight to height
• What are milestones or developmental norms?

  Expected stages of development at certain ages
• What is a pincer grasp?

  A fine motor skill that involves using the thumb and forefinger to grasp objects
• What is a palmer grasp?

  A grasp using the entire hand
• What is hand-eye coordination?

  The ability to coordinate visual input with hand movements
• What is the stage of infancy?

  The period from birth to 2 years
• What is the stage of early childhood?

  The period from 2 to 8 years
• What is the stage of adolescence?

  The period from 9 to 18 years
• What is the stage of early adulthood?

  The period from 19 to 45 years
• What is the stage of middle adulthood?

  The period from 46 to 65 years
• What is the stage of later adulthood?

  The period from 65 years and older
• What is puberty?

  The period of sexual maturation and development
• What role do hormones play in development?

  They regulate various physiological processes - oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone
• What are primary sexual characteristics?

  Physical features directly involved in reproduction - we are born with these
• What are secondary sexual characteristics?

  Physical features that develop during puberty but are not directly involved in reproduction
• What is the function of the pituitary gland?

  It regulates hormone production
• What is oestrogen?

  A hormone involved in female reproductive development
• What is progesterone?

  A hormone that prepares the uterus for pregnancy
• What is testosterone?

  A hormone involved in male reproductive development
• What is physical maturity?

  The stage when an individual reaches full physical development
• What is ovulation?

  The release of an egg from the ovary
• What is menstruation?

  The shedding of the uterine lining
• What is pregnancy?

  The period of development of a foetus in the uterus
• What is lactation?

  The production of milk in the mammary glands
• What is a trimester?

  A three-month period during pregnancy
• What is perimenopause?

  The transitional period before menopause
• What is menopause?

  The end of a woman's reproductive years
• What are gonadotropins?

  Hormones that stimulate the gonads